Coming off a 7-16 record from last season, the Adairsville softball team has been working over the summer in hopes of having a better fall season.

Head coach Kandace Bruno said she feels the team has gotten better over the past month as the Lady Tigers worked on softball basics in June and had three workouts a week during July.

“The summer has gone really well for us. We have had a great group of young ladies out there working very hard to get better every day,” said Bruno.

With only two seniors on the team – Mallorie Collum and Macy Upshaw – and four returning starters – Collum, junior Morgan Creel and sophomores Victoria Davis and Logan O’Neal – Adairsville has a very young squad this year.

Bruno said having so much youth on the field has led to summer drills being very fundamental as they teach the new players how to “think” softball.

“We are a young team this year, so there has been a learning curve this summer. We are getting back to the fundamentals of the game, working on throwing, hitting, and fielding, and trying to get the girls to think the game. This game moves so quick that the girls have to know before the pitch what they are going to do,” Bruno said.

The more experienced players will have to help out the younger players, who make up the majority of the team. They will have to step up this season as Bruno said each player will be counted on during the course of the season.

“With our team this year, each one of the girls will have to play a key role at one point or another. We may need a big pinch hit at some point, or a key defensive play, and you just never know who might make that play for you,” said Bruno.

Bruno said the main goal for this year is to make sure the team is getting better every time they step onto the field. The Lady Tigers will again compete for a playoff spot out of Region 5-AAA with the likes of Cartersville, which advanced to the playoffs last season, and 2012 state Class AAA runner-up Ringgold.

Always wanting to be competitive, Bruno said she wants to continue what the team had last year.

“These girls have a lot of pride in how they perform each game, so we look forward to them putting it all on the line this year,” the coach said. “It’s going to be an exciting season for us in a very tough region. We are looking forward to getting the season started.”

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